1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of marine motor support devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for providing a mount for a trolling motor. More particular yet, the present invention involves a trolling motor mount that provides side-mounting and that also includes an internal safety switch integrated into the mount.
2. Description of Prior Art
In the field of watercraft used to transport fishermen, casual boaters, and the like, trolling motors have been useful devices. These motors are relatively small in comparison to the types of primary motors designed to propel watercraft at significant speeds. The principal function of the trolling motor is to enable movement of the craft at relatively slow speeds in order to permit fine control of that watercraft movement. Their usefulness is not limited to small craft such as canoes, rowboats and the like. That is, they may also be found on relatively larger craft, such as sailboats, yachts, etc. However, trolling motors are particularly useful to the fisherman in that they keep the craft moving at a speed comparable to the speed of a typical lure used for a particular type of target fish.
For many years, there have been developments in the field of trolling motors. The focus of the present invention is not in the specific motor design, but in the design of the motor's mount. There have been many such designs, all of which have had their usefulness, but none of which have addressed all of the needs of the fisherman--or any sailor--who seeks to be able to maneuver the craft from most any position within a small vessel. That is, particularly for the individual boating alone, it can be difficult to move about the craft while at the same time operate the trolling motor. In most designs, the trolling motor is affixed to a substrate that places the motor's propeller, when in use, in the water and the control fixtures associated with operation of the motor at the stern of the craft. As long as the user does not wish to move far from the stern-mounted motor and its hand-operated controls, this standard design is acceptable. Unfortunately, this restricts the user to the rear of the craft where overall balance may be less than ideal--an issue of particular concern to the canoeist, whose craft is already relatively unstable. Further, it restricts the solo user from fully accessing the entire craft, unless, of course, he or she is prepared to risk free motion of the motor when his or her hand is not there to control that movement.
There have been several attempts to provide trolling motor mounts permitting greater movement around the craft without loss of complete control of the motor. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,792 issued to Tamiso describes a trolling motor mount having a two-point contact bar used to provide a site for affixing the motor. The contact bar includes slots permitting coarse adjustment of the location of clamps used to affix the bar to differing gunwale widths. The mounting bar is apparently designed to be affixed at or near the front of the craft, with the motor mounted outboard at the end of the bar. While the Tamiso device is of some usefulness, there are a number of deficiencies that restrict its adaptability. One limitation of this design is that the slots in the bar provide a range of only a limited number of gunwale widths to which the device may be usefully affixed. In practice, however, there are a great many gunwale widths, and even a single craft can provide a significant variation in gunwale width as one transits from fore to aft. Another limitation of the Tamiso device is the failure to take into account the force exerted on the craft even by the smallest of trolling motors. Leaving the motor with essentially a single point-of-contact relationship with the craft can produce significant stress on the mounting bar as well as on the craft's gunwale. Moreover, this arrangement likely results in a loss of a portion of the useful thrust exerted by the motor on the craft in that torquing, shimmying, etc., that may occur from the single point-of-contact is lost to the water rather than directed to the craft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,574 issued to Ellestad describes a motor mount specifically for canoes, which is one application for the present invention. The Ellestad device includes a pair of rails that are affixed to the canoe's gunwales, with a pair of movable bars affixed to the rails. The motor is apparently coupled to one of the bars, each of which is designed to pivot on the rails. This device fails to permit complete and easy freedom of transfer of the mount, and therefore the motor, from one location to another on the entire craft. That is, the rails would have to extend essentially the entire length of the craft. In addition, the bars are designed to be fixed in a single location on the rails, thereby limiting the range of gunwale widths to which the device may be affixed. Further, the Ellestad device involves the application of considerably more components than is reasonably necessary to achieve complete and easy mobility of the motor mount.
Other prior devices, including those described by McCoy (U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,798) and Mould (U.S. Pat. No. 1,663,260), fail to provide the means to enable the user of a trolling motor complete adaptability and effectiveness with modern-day watercraft. Specifically, McCoy and Mould fail to take into account the need to transfer as much of the motor's thrust into craft movement in that they use essentially single point-of-contact coupling. This may not be necessary when the device is used on older craft made of extremely rigid materials. However, present-day craft are made of durable, but relatively more flexible materials, such as aluminum, fiberglass and other non-metallic materials. Thus, the need for gunwale mounts with at least two points of contact is particularly important with current and future watercraft.
Therefore, what is needed is a mount for a trolling motor that is quickly and easily moved from one location to another on a craft. What is also needed is such a motor mount that takes advantage of the thrust available from the motor for movement of the craft. Further, what is needed is a trolling motor mount that addresses the design features of modern craft, including the materials used to make their gunwales.